Die Macht » o continues to struggle against lefty hitters

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics will be phased out of revenue sharing in the coming years as part of baseballs new labor deal, and that puts even more urgency on the small-budget franchises plan to find the right spot soon to build a new, privately funded ballpark.The As revenue-sharing funds will be cut to 75 percent next year, 50 percent in 2018, 25 percent in 2019 and then phased out as part of the five-year agreement reached Wednesday and formally announced Friday.We are very excited that there is an agreement on a new CBA. We are committed right now to investing every dollar of revenue that we generate back into the on-field product and the fan experience, new As team president Dave Kaval said. We will also work hard to increase our revenue in the near term so that we can allocate more resources to both of these areas. The new CBA again highlights the importance of getting a new ballpark built in Oakland. A new ballpark will allow for the most competitive level of play on the field. We are laser-focused on making that happen as quickly as we can.Kaval, named to his new As leadership position last month while also currently serving as president of Major League Soccers San Jose Earthquakes, brings a business savvy and the experience from just pulling off the building of the Quakes second-year, state-of-the art Avaya Stadium, which boasts the largest outdoor bar in North America. He envisions an intimate baseball venue surrounded by the bustle of businesses, restaurants and housing.Commissioner Rob Manfred said during the Cubs-Giants series in October he would like to see the club stay put and find a viable solution in Oakland, and Mayor Libby Schaaf has pledged her commitment.The As have a current payroll of $87 million, pending award bonuses and adjustments, and that is above only Tampa Bay and Milwaukees. They added outfielder Matt Joyce with an $11 million, two-year contract Wednesday and avoided a potential arbitration case when first baseman Yonder Alonso agreed Friday to a $4 million, one-year contract.Pushing forward for a new ballpark is a top priority, along with improving the fan experience at the Coliseum in the meantime to keep a frustrated fan base happy until ground breaks to show this really will happen -- prompting him to say last month, I know its maybe lipstick on a pig.The run-down Coliseum, shared with the Raiders and the last venue with both Major League Baseball and football, had multiple sewage problems in 2013 that caused damage during games among other issues.Kaval is committed to making quick progress but also doing this right. That means strong communication with city and civic leaders as well as the community and fan base. On Tuesday afternoon, Kaval will host his first office hours at the Coliseum open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis -- then each Tuesday after that by appointment. He has held a similar practice as with the Earthquakes.I do hope our new president has a better understanding of what the fans want in order to get a new stadium done, catcher Stephen Vogt said in a text message Friday. I think its great that he is having office hours that fans can come in and give him their opinion on what they would like to see. The new stadium is for these fans. These fans deserve a new stadium. They waited long and they still supported us through thick and thin the last few years. Saints Jerseys China . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Custom New Orleans Saints Jerseys . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. https://www.saintsjerseyssale.com/ . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. New Orleans Saints Gear . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Wholesale Saints Jerseys .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Welcome to Week 21 of the season. With 20 down and six to go, weve just passed the quarter pole and are heading down the stretch. Gee, it seems like just yesterday it was still early. Speaking of early, the Dodgers and Reds get a head start with a 12:35 PM ET first pitch.As usual, were dealing with an abbreviated Monday slate but at least theres some meat to it, with several quality arms on the menu, albeit mostly in road affairs.PitchingEliteYou often hear the term professional hitter applied to veterans that approach each at-bat with a purpose, getting the job done in a workmanlike manner, without a ton of flair. Well, Jon Lester is a professional pitcher. Next up for the 32-year-old southpaw is a road date with the San Diego Padres. Since the All-Star break, the Friars sport a low 0.310 weighted on base average (woBA) and whopping 34 percent strikeout rate with a lefty on the Petco Park hill. This lifts Lester into the top spot, in play for all formats of DFS play.August has not been kind to Carlos Carrasco as hes registered a 6.66 ERA. A 21-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in those 24 1/3 innings suggest hes still pitching well, just been giving up ill-timed hits along with allowing at least one homer in each game. Carrasco has a good draw to get back on track as the Cleveland Indians head west to take on the Cleveland Indians. With the cavernous Oakland Coliseum doing them no favors, the Athletics are near the bottom of the league in home run rate when facing right-handers. However, they dont fan much so there isnt much of a ceiling for Carrasco, relegating him to DFS cash play.SolidLester will have some decent GPP exposure but probably not as much as David Price as he ventures to one of his previous haunts. The Boston Red Sox head south for an early week set in St. Petersburg against Prices original team, the Tampa Bay Rays. The allure of this encounter is a league-worst 26 percent punch out pace versus left-handers. Prices season has been a series of peaks and valleys and Mondays outing is looking like another high point.Jameson Taillon as more than held his own in his initial campaign. Monday will be a big test as the Houston Astros have snapped out of their doldrums, venturing to the Steel City for an interleague affair with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The visitors will have to leave their designated hitter on the bench which aids Taillon, as does their 24 percent whiff rate versus right-handers. Its a risk, but one worth taking on a short slate where embracing variance is often key.StreamersScott Kazmirs 69 percent ownership in ESPN leagues is greater than the 50 percent we use as the cutoff for mention in this space but since were dealing with a truncated slate, and the Los Angeles Dodgers lefty merits attention for DFS GPP play, an exception is in order. The southpaw takes the hill in the Great American Ballpark against the Cincinnati Reds and their 23 percent strikeout rate against left-handers.In a pair of starts since joining the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation, Zack Godley as kept the Red Sox and New York Mets in check, tossing 12 2/3 frames, allowing three runs, fanning eight with two basses on balls.dddddddddddd The Atlanta Braves have picked up the pace versus right-handers the past month but with a dearth of other options, Godley is in play if youre looking to pad your early-week stats.Maybe fantasy football is distracting some, but its still puzzling how Homer Bailey can be owned in only 29 percent of ESPN leagues. The Cincinnati Reds righty should soon edge into the solid tier but for now, hes still technically in the streaming range. The Los Angeles Dodgers are by no means pushovers but Bailey has demonstrated enough to be used unless the matchup is especially poor, and this doesnt qualify.If youre anticipating a tight battle with your ratios this week then not using Mike Foltynewicz is the safe play, but in the spirit of early week aggressive play, the Atlanta Braves righty is a viable streamer for his date in the desert with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lefty swingers are Foltynewiczs crutch while the Snakes are predominantly right-handed.AvoidAfter a pair of solid efforts, Edwin Jackson returned to form and was blasted by the Rays last time out. The Chicago Cubs are in line for more of the same.HittingChances are the Chicago Cubs will be the chalk play, even in Petco Park, though the venue is playing more hitter friendly the past couple of seasons. Edwin Jackson is equally charitable to both sides of the plate so fading Anthony Rizzo while using Kris Bryant and Addison Russell could be a means of going colored chalk instead of the standard white. Then its just a matter of picking and choosing the complementary pieces with everyone in play.Its not Coors Field but the scoreboard operator in Miller Park will be busy with the Colorado Rockies taking on the Milwaukee Brewers. The visitors will take aim at Jimmy Nelson who continues to struggle against lefty hitters. Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, David Dahl, Gerardo Parra and Ben Paulsen stand to benefit the most. It should be noted Charlie Blackmon has been out of the lineup with a sore toe so make sure hes active. If not, Dahl has been hitting leadoff, elevating his scoring potential, especially since Nelson allows more steals than anyone in the league.The home team faces righty Chad Bettis. The left-handed contingent of the Brewers is in the spotlight though the righties are in play as well. Scooter Gennett and Kirk Nieuwenhuis are the lefties along with switch-hitter Jonathan Villar. The stealth righties include Orlando Arcia, Ryan Braun, Chris Carter and the emerging Hernan Perez.As alluded to earlier, the Arizona Diamondbacks dont have many left-handed hitters but finding a way to work Jake Lamb in against Foltynewicz could pay big dividends.Most likely to hit a home run: It feels like a slugfest in Miller Park so it shouldnt be surprising Carlos Gonzalez gets the nod against Nelson.Most likely to steal a base: Speaking of getting the nod, as hinter earlier, Dahl will get the nod to run against Nelson. The rookie may be thought of in terms of power, especially in Coors, but he can run too. ' ' '